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New Brooks Families Get Acquainted Before School

August30,2017

More than 150 new students and their family members gathered on Sunday evening to get acquainted before the kickoff to Brooks School's new school year.

Leslie and Belisario Rosas P'15, P'21 hosted the August 27 reception in the backyard of their Andover, Mass., home. "It gives us an opportunity to share how positive our Brooks experience has been with new families," said Leslie Rosas. "Plus, we enjoy being able to bring together new, and returning, families that will all be a part of the incoming classes."

And come together guests did, talking, laughing and mingling while nibbling on snacks (passed hors d'oeuvres for the parents on one side of the yard; hot pretzels and dip for the students gathered poolside) for about two hours until the sun began to set.

Visit Brooks School's Alumni Events page to see other upcoming receptions for the Brooks community.

A handful of returning students and faculty members were also on hand to answer questions throughout the evening. "It's a nice opportunity to ask the questions you haven't asked yet, in a comfortable setting," said Director of Development Gage Dobbins. "It's also a low-stress way to give new families some familiar faces and names so that when they show up on first day of school there are already some connections."

Dobbins has organized a new family reception prior to the start of school for a number of years now. This year's event turned out to be special, though, for a couple of reasons. "People traveled from as far as Maryland to attend," she said. "And there were Brooks graduates who reunited with classmates at the event – as fellow parents!"

Teammates who participated this summer in the Brooks boys soccer squad's Team Prep Camp at Camp Cedar in Casco, Maine reunited, too, while on the other hand, there were roommates meeting for the first time at the soiree, as well.

Head of School John Packard P'18, P'21 offered reassurance to students who might be apprehensive about beginning at a new school during a short speech near the end of the festivities. He addressed the teenagers, joking about how the nervousness they're feeling pales in comparison to what their parents are probably hiding, before he reassured those same parents that Brooks School will take great care of their children.

Leslie Rosas has experienced that firsthand. "Our daughter Carolina was a day student, as will be our incoming children," she said. "However, we can imagine that for many families whose children will be boarding this is a time of both excitement and apprehension." Her hope, she added, is "that all families who attended this reception left with a feeling of comfort and a deeper sense of the wonderful support system this community provides...It's a special community."

To learn about other events for families, and all the ways that parents near and far can get involved, visit Brooks School's Parents Committee page.

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